Charitable donations help UNICEF save and protect kids in need

5 Ways to Give to Children in Need This Season With UNICEF

However you like to give — by helping in emergencies, donating monthly, shopping for good or fundraising on social — UNICEF has you covered.

Donate

The giving season is upon us. If helping children and young people matters to you, UNICEF is one of the best charities to donate to. However, donations aren’t the only way to support UNICEF’s lifesaving work for children. This year, UNICEF USA offers a number of different ways to give back so you can support UNICEF how you think best. That flexibility is one thing donors say they appreciate:

"UNICEF is the one organization we have chosen this year. We don't have much, but we want to share."

Show you care with a one-time donation

All children have a right to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. But in 2024, those rights are threatened like never before.

As children face mounting dangers in Gaza and Sudan — from deadly violence to forced displacement, starvation and disease — similar crises in Myanmar, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) make each new day a struggle for survival.

In these desperate situations, UNICEF is a steadfast defender of children's rights and well-being. When families must flee their homes, losing access to necessities like safe water, healthcare and education, UNICEF protects children's rights like no other humanitarian organization can. Always putting children's needs first, UNICEF secures humanitarian corridors, mobilizes resources and strengthens protection systems to shield vulnerable children from harm.

UNICEF is the one organization we have chosen this year. We don't have much, but we want to share. — UNICEF USA donor

Although UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations (UN) in 1953, UNICEF receives no UN funding. UNICEF's lifesaving work for children wouldn't be possible without the voluntary contributions of people like you.

UNICEF's 75-plus-year history of being in the right place at the right time for children has earned it the trust of many. "I chose UNICEF based on their history," says one donor whose commitment is so strong she donates monthly to UNICEF USA. "I believe the organization is well-established and has the structure for effective relief in distressed situations… I trust my gift will make someone’s life less painful."

Make a 100% tax-deductible donation.

Make it monthly

Protecting children before, during and after a crisis requires a reliable funding source. That's the beauty of what monthly donors provide: a constant stream of revenue that enables UNICEF to preposition emergency supplies before a disaster strikes and build sustainable solutions long after the acute phase of the crisis has subsided.

Monthly giving is also critical to funding ongoing health programs, like UNICEF's global immunization campaigns and programs to prevent and treat the malnutrition linked to nearly half of all deaths of children under 5.

UNICEF workers launch the polio immunization campaign in DR Congo
UNICEF USA donors help ensure disease prevention programs can continue amid conflicts. Here, UNICEF workers launch a polio vaccination campaign in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). UNICEF and partners brave conflict zones like the DRC to ensure children's access to lifesaving immunizations, healthcare and other forms of humanitarian aid. © UNICEF/UNI430920/Christian Mirindi Johnson

I chose UNICEF based on their history. I trust my gift will make someone’s life less painful. — UNICEF USA monthly donor

Monthly giving benefits the world's most vulnerable children. It also comes with significant benefits for supporters, too. Monthly donors receive: 

  • Annual statements to make tax time easier

  • An easy-to-use donor portal that simplifies adjusting gift amounts, updating payment methods and making other changes, including the timing of donations with the option to cancel at any point

  • Monthly statements detailing giving to date and a quarterly 8-page newsletter with stories of UNICEF in action

  • A dedicated, responsive team available to answer questions via email or phone

Learn more about how to become a monthly donor here.

Start your own fundraiser

Do you have friends and family who, like you, believe every child has a right to grow up healthy, happy, hopeful and safe? UNICEF USA has now made it much easier to be a champion for children worldwide with an online fundraiser

UNICEF USA makes it easy to create a compelling fundraising page that tells your story and connects your community to UNICEF's vital mission. Whether you're passionate about emergency relief, education or healthcare, your fundraiser can inspire people to help UNICEF be there whenever and wherever children need help. With every share, every conversation, and every donation, you can build a community of people who believe that together, we can create a better world for every child.  

To get started, go to Fundraise for UNICEF USA. There, you'll find everything you need — answers to all your questions about peer-to-peer fundraising plus step-by-step instructions, tools, and tips to supersize your support for children.

Share your passion with friends, family and colleagues and inspire others to join the cause. 

Start your holiday fundraiser here.

Shop UNICEF Market for holiday gifts

Every day, UNICEF Market artisans are hard at work, preserving handcrafting traditions that have supported their families and communities for centuries. Their handmade goods are intrinsically beautiful, like the holiday ornaments handcrafted by Peruvian ceramicist Anita Contreras. UNICEF Market shoppers also love them because proceeds from every purchase support UNICEF's programs for children. 

Watch the video below for a sneak peek into Contreras's ceramic studio, then check out the wide array of gifts — from jewelry to Mexican handblown glass to gorgeous Alpaca woolens — ready to ship out from UNICEF Market's Holiday Collection.

Shop for UNICEF Market artisan gifts.

Dedicate a UNICEF Inspired Gift to a loved one

What do you get for that friend who has everything? Or for anyone who cares about children? UNICEF Inspired Gifts are supplies that you can send to a child or children in need in honor of a friend or loved one. Blankets and winter clothes to keep children who live in a refugee camp warm, exercise books and pencils for children desperate to learn, lifesaving nutrition for those suffering from severe acute malnutrition and more.

To order, choose a gift, personalize a holiday card or write an e-greeting, then hit "send." UNICEF USA takes it from there — notifying your recipient that you've given a lifesaving gift in their name as vital supplies are delivered — by car, helicopter, motorcycle, bike, donkey or canoe.

Shop for UNICEF Inspired Gifts today.

With decades of experience upholding children's rights and providing essential assistance and services, UNICEF knows what children need to survive and thrive and works tirelessly daily to supply it. Your gift ensures that UNICEF won't stop.

Please support UNICEF's programs to save and protect children all over the world. 

 

TOP PHOTO: Monthly donations help UNICEF act quickly to get children the help they need in a crisis. When the war in Ukraine broke out, UNICEF established Blu Dot centers like this one on Ukraine’s border with Romania, where UNICEF workers provided humanitarian relief and psycho-social support to children fleeing the violence. © UNICEF/UN0622182/Adrian Holerga

HOW TO HELP

There are many ways to make a difference

War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.

Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.

Donate to UNICEF USA to help kids survive and thrive
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A group of smiling UNICEF club members, wearing UNICEF USA t-shirts, stand on a city street and reach their arms out to signify welcoming others.
Rally friends and family to help kids
UNICEF delivers supplies wherever kids need them most
Help UNICEF get lifesaving aid to children in crisis